


I Want to See the Ocean

by aceschwarz222



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Avengers Family, Avengers Feels, Avengers Tower, Domestic Avengers, Fluff and Angst, Ocean, Peter Parker is an Avenger, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Natasha Romanov, Protective Peter Parker, Sneaking Out, Walks On The Beach
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-11-17 08:33:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11271819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aceschwarz222/pseuds/aceschwarz222
Summary: After Natasha Romanoff discovers her 17 year-old sister alive and well, she decides to move her into the Avengers Tower. Her sister is silent and untrusting, until another young Avenger helps her break down her walls...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing Peter Parker, so feedback is always appreciated. :)

When you and your sister had been taken away from your family before you could even form proper sentences, you had never expected to see freedom again. When your sister had been sent away on missions and had never returned, you never expected her to come barging in with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to rescue you after all these years. 

But that’s exactly what happened. Natasha Romanoff yanked you out of your life with the Red Room and took you to New York. To say you were less than thrilled was an understatement. Sure, the Red Room had some...minor flaws, but it was all you had ever known. And now, she expected you to live in some Tower with a bunch of overzealous superheroes. That went over about as well as a snowflake in hell.

At least you had stopped escaping by now. You had managed to override the Scot’s protocols three times already, and you had even made it as far as the train station. But someone had always managed to bring you back. They always came to find you and bring you “home.” You would sit in the common room in silence as they tried to convince you that you were safe, that it was okay to talk. The first time it happened, they seemed concerned. The second time, they were flustered. The third time, they were just plain annoyed. Finally, the Billionaire threatened to stick an ankle bracelet on you if you tried it again.

So you did. 

The ankle bracelet had been almost as easy to crack as his silly robot’s code. You had dropped it unceremoniously on his lab table with a loud “clang” as his mouth hung open in shock. Hey, just because you were only 17 didn’t mean that you weren’t intelligent. 

But you had stopped escaping. You convinced yourself it was because you could have more fun tormenting the inhabitants of the Tower than out on the streets. But really, it felt nice to be safe for once. It felt nice not having to worry about being punished for using the wrong fork at dinner. Not that you would ever admit that to anyone. You hadn’t spoken a single word since your arrival. Deep down, Nat knew the reason for your hesitancy. In fact, she probably knew it better than anyone, so she didn’t push the talking thing. But she did make you sleep in her room until she was convinced you would actually stay in one place and stop annoying the others.

Ha. Like that would ever happen. 

The Billionaire was easy to ruffle. He was always tinkering with some piece of equipment in that big lab of his, so you always made time to check out his new creations. And if a screw or two got switched around? It was just a happy coincidence as far as you were concerned. 

Spangles was a bit tougher. He always acted so righteous, and his teeth were far too perfect for a normal human being. You used the phone Nat had given you to play some patriotic song whenever he strutted (yes the man actually seemed to strut) in a room. He would just stare at you with a quirked eyebrow while you innocently turned the volume up. He was too nice to outwardly scold you, but you got small satisfaction in seeing his jaw clench a little each time.

Kirk and Spock were always together, but as far as you could tell they weren’t a couple. Spock freaked you out a bit with his red skin and ability to float. And what was with the yellow stone in his forehead? It was easy to mess with him. His cooking ingredients would get “misplaced” or switched completely. He would stare at the soup spoon in his hand wondering why it didn’t taste like it was supposed to. Kirk was a bit too all-knowing for your liking. She would hold your gaze for far too long, and you wondered if she was reading your mind. She seemed like the type. So, one day while she was looking at you, you internally screamed some heavy metal song you had heard on the radio. She had winced and turned away, confirming your suspicions. 

Bird Boy was a hoot to mess with (no pun intended). All you had to do was steal his food or clothes and he would go around the Tower accusing his arch nemesis of any wrongdoing.  

Ahh, yes, Frosty. He was probably the only one who didn’t annoy the shit out of you. Tall, stoic, and silent, he never pushed for you to talk or show any feelings. If you two happened to eat breakfast together (which seemed to be happening more frequently), you would just munch on your cereal without ever saying a word. His presence was oddly comforting, but you would never tell him that. 

Then there was the Spiderling. Why anyone would keep a teenager around to fight the dangers of the world was beyond you. Not only was he young, but he was annoying. He always made it a point to say hello, and good lord could that kid ramble. Sometimes you wished you had a remote so you could mute him. 

Like right now. 

Everyone was in the training room participating in a late-night sparring session, and Spiderling had just gotten completely beat by Spangles. Like, there was no nice way to describe the takedown. Apparently, there was still a silly feud between the two of them after some incident in Germany. Spiderling had insisted he would win, but today was not his day.

“Nice job there, Captain Rogers,” Spiderling said, limping over to his water bottle. “You got me good, but I’m gonna get better for next time.”

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. What a suck up. Spiderling went to take a sip of his water, but apparently the cap wasn’t on the whole way. Water spilled all down the front of his shirt and face. He spluttered as he dropped the bottle to the floor and shook his head wildly. You heard someone laugh loudly while he tried to clean himself up.

Suddenly, it was dead quiet, and everyone was staring at you, including Spiderling. You glanced around at everyone’s gaze, trying to figure out what they were looking at. You caught a glimpse of yourself in one of the gym’s mirror, and you noticed your eyes were sparkling a bit more than usual and a smile graced your face. At that moment, you realized it must have been you who laughed. You didn’t even feel the sensation in your body, to be honest. Laughter was that foreign to you. 

An intense heat rush to your cheeks, and you bolted. You hated the idea of any of them seeing you let your walls down like that. That’s exactly how people got hurt where you used to come from. You shook your head and chastised yourself for being so stupid.

“Hey wait!” a voice called after you.

You stiffened and slowly came to a stop in the hallway. You clenched your fists at your sides, ready to take on whoever dared make fun of you for laughing. When you turned around, you were shocked to find Spiderling standing in the hallway with you. His hair and shirt were still damp, and he was slightly out of breath.

“Here,” he said, holding out three $100 bills. 

You just stared at them, unsure why he was trying to give you money. You slowly uncurled your fists and gave him a quizzical look.

“They, um, had a bet going on who could get you to talk first,” he quickly explained. “Well, not Captain Rogers ‘cause he’s too nice for that. And not your, uh, sister, obviously. I mean, she wouldn’t do that. Or Vision or Wanda. They’re not into bets. At least, I don’t think they are. They never really struck me as the betting people, you know? So really, it was just Sergeant Barnes, Mr. Stark, and Mr. Wilson.” He paused and took a breath.

“Why are you giving it to me?” you whispered. 

Spiderling’s eyes widened as he heard you speak for the very first time. “Well...uh...I guess I didn’t think it was fair for me to keep it. I mean, I don’t need it. Not really. Not that I think you need it! I mean, we could always split it if you want. Or do something with it.”

“Do something? Like what?” It had been a while since you handled money on your own, but $300 seemed like a lot.

“Well, I dunno,” he replied. “Is there something you want or somewhere you want to go?”

You had to stop and think. No one had asked you a question like that in a long time. Certainly never in the Red Room. And Nat just dragged you along with her wherever she went in the Tower. You closed your eyes and tried to think of something you wanted, something you never got to have.

You wanted to feel something real, something to hold you to this earth. Sometimes, it felt like you were drifting away, and you were losing a part of yourself every day. You had no idea who to be anymore. You certainly weren’t the assassin they were training in the Red Room, but you weren’t a normal teenager either. You racked your brain, trying to think of something or somewhere that could help you regain the power you so desperately craved over yourself.

You slowly opened your eyes to find Spiderling waiting patiently for your answer. 

“Did you think of something?” he asked.

You paused and took a deep breath. “Can we...can we go to the ocean? I want to see the ocean.” Your voice wavered, and you shut your eyes, ready to hear him tell you what a stupid idea it was.

Spiderling blinked, then opened and closed his mouth. He knew it was a bad idea to take you out of the Tower, but you looked so vulnerable standing there. This was the first time you had opened up to anyone. Besides, he did have $300 to blow.

“Yeah,” he replied. You opened your eyes and he smiled. “Yeah, we can go to the ocean.”


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and Y/N sneak off for their adventure at the beach.

If someone had asked Peter Parker what he was going to be doing on a random Thursday night in the middle of June, he probably would have said studying. Although lately he would have used studying as his cover story for saving New York from the various villains and miscreants. 

He never would have imagined he would be sneaking a former assassin out of the city to go see an ocean. 

After Peter accepted your request to visit an ocean, you both worked quickly. You each packed a backpack and ditched your cell phones before sneaking off the Tower property. Everyone would assume you had gone to hide in your (well, Nat’s) room after the laughing incident, and everyone would assume Peter had run off to do some homework. 

They had absolutely no idea you had taken a train from Penn Station all the way to Long Beach at nearly 9 o’clock at night. Without any technology, they had no way to trace your whereabouts. It was pitch dark by now, but the boardwalk was illuminated by various streetlamps that casted a faint orange glow over everything. 

Even though you could barely see the ocean, you heard the roar of the waves as they ebbed and flowed. The scent of salt tickled your nose, and you could feel the grains of sand underneath your sneakers. Your heart raced as you tried to categorize and understand the wave of emotions coming over you. 

Peter looked both ways to make sure no one was coming as he climbed under the boardwalk fence. He landed softly on the sand and looked up at you expectantly. You hesitated briefly before joining him down below. You could feel the sand scratch your ankles and socks as it found its way into your shoes, and you grimaced at the unfamiliar sensation. 

Peter led you closer and closer to the water until you could feel the sand stiffen beneath your feet. You paused just out of reach of the waves, and Peter knelt down to take off his socks and sneakers. He rolled up his jeans before continuing his journey. 

“Oooo, it’s cold!” he yelped as his feet hit the water. He giggled as another small wave crashed against him, the water reaching his ankles this time. “Come on! You’ll love it!”

You gulped as you stared at the blackness. What had seemed like such a good idea a few hours ago now terrified you. What if there were dangers in the water? What if something hurt you? What if-

“Hey,” he said gently. He walked back over to you and held out his hand. “It’s okay.” You just stared at his hand like it was a foreign object. 

“I can’t,” you whispered as you shook your head. Tears pricked the corners of your eyes, and you prayed that they wouldn’t fall. 

Peter carefully stepped closer until you had no other option but to look him in the eyes. “You’re my friend,” he insisted. “I won’t let anything happen to you.” 

You had no idea why you trusted Peter Parker. If someone had asked you to explain it, you probably wouldn’t have been able to describe your reasoning. But somehow, his words gave you the courage to take off your shoes and grasp his hand. It was clammy from the cool air, and he gave it a gentle squeeze, as if to reassure you that everything would be okay. 

Step by step, he led you to the water. The sand grew cold underneath your toes as a wave flowed away from the beach. You both stood in silence, waiting with anticipation for what was about to come. 

The water that came back to envelope your feet was freezing, and it was a complete shock to your system. You gasped as the seafoam glided effortlessly between your toes. You had to stop yourself from falling back with the pressure, and then a few seconds later, you dug your heels in the soaking sand to avoid being pulled out to sea. It was the strangest, purest sensation you had experienced in a long time.

A small bubble of laughter climbed its way from your stomach up to your throat. The noise penetrated the rhythmic crash of waves, and Peter glanced over at you. Just like at the gym, your eyes sparkled under the moonlight, and you were smiling. He couldn’t help but laugh along with you, and soon you were both caught in a fit of giggles as the waves continued to come. 

You had no idea how long you stood there, but once both of your bodies were overtaken by shivers, you decided to call it a night. You quickly gathered your belongings and hopped back up on the boardwalk. 

Despite the late hour, the boardwalk was buzzing with people the further you walked towards the hub of the beach. People barely acknowledged the two of you as you tried to come up with a game plan. 

“So we’ve got $300 to spend,” Peter remarked. “We should probably get some food and figure out where we’re going to stay.”

“Stay?” you asked. “Together?”

Peter’s face turned scarlet at your insinuation. “Not like that!” he exclaimed. “I mean, we probably don’t have enough for two rooms, but we should be able to find something with two beds! Or if there’s only rooms with one bed, I can sleep on the floor.”

You bit your bottom lip and smiled shyly. “I think we’ll be fine,” you reassured him. You walked past a food truck, and your stomach grumbled. “Food first?” 

Peter sighed in relief at the change in subject. “Food sounds great,” he admitted. “That sparring totally worked up my appetite.”

“You mean that ass kicking,” you sassed, gaining some confidence with your new friend. 

“Now hold on!” Peter yelped. “Captain Rogers did NOT kick my ass! Sure, he had the upper hand, but-”

“But he totally beat you,” you interrupted. “There was no contest!”

“I’m feeling very attacked right now,” Peter muttered. 

His sore ego was soon forgotten as you stopped in front of a small pizza joint. You could practically taste the sizzling cheese as you watched the pies come out of the oven. Peter was just about drooling himself, and he made the executive decision to get your food here. 

You each ordered a medium pizza, french fries, and cannolis. You got almost every topping imaginable while Peter stuck to a simple sausage and pepperoni pie. 

Peter balanced two large sodas on top of the boxes as you walked down the back street towards a motel with a vacancy sign. The owner looked at the two of you uneasily as you checked in for the night. Once Peter handed over the remaining cash, however, your young age was forgotten, and you were given a key to a room on the third floor.

Peter nearly collapsed in relief when he opened the door and found two queen-sized beds in the room. He placed the boxes on the table and flopped on the bed closest to the bathroom. You wasted no time in digging right into the food. Peter turned on the room’s TV to a random movie, and soon, you were both lost in good food and a silly rom com. The silence was comfortable, and you couldn’t help but smile at the night’s events.

A little while later, Peter tossed the last of his crust into his empty box and groaned. “This was actually really fun,” he admitted. 

“Yeah,” you agreed. “Thank you.” 

“Anytime.” He chuckled softly then looked at the empty soda cups. “You still thirsty?” he asked.

You nodded. “I saw a water machine on our way up. I can refill them,” you offered.

Peter eyed you warily, and you knew exactly what he was thinking. “I’ll come back,” you promised. Peter hesitated for a brief moment before nodding his approval. You grabbed the cups and your key and headed out the door.

The air was crisp as you filled up your cups with fresh water. Over the hum of the machine, you heard soft footsteps behind you. You knew who it was without even looking at him.

“Enjoying yourself?” you asked as you turned around.

Bucky Barnes stood in front of you, a smile ghosting his lips. “I could ask you the same thing,” he shot back. 

“How did you find us?” you interrogated. 

“We’re a lot alike,” he answered. His eyes became sad as he seemed to recall a memory from a distant past. “When I...got better...I wanted to come to the beach too.” 

“Really?” You knew all about Bucky’s history, but it was never something he just discussed with people. In fact, he had never actually said anything to you personally up until this moment.

Bucky nodded. “Something about the water just calmed me,” he explained. “So when the two of you never showed back up to the gym, I followed my hunch.”

“And if you had been wrong?” you asked.

“Well, then, I got a trip to the beach,” he chuckled. 

You couldn’t help but smile back. “You never pushed me to talk,” you commented. 

“Nope,” he replied, shaking his head. “I knew you would when you were ready.”

You didn’t have a reply for him, so you just nodded your head. “Are you going to make us come home?” you asked, suppressing a yawn.

“Not tonight,” he smirked. “You should get some sleep. But I’m staying in room 302 if you need me.” Without another word, Bucky turned around and headed back to his room. 

“Bucky?” you called after him. He stopped and glanced back at you. “Um, than...thank you. For everything.” You swallowed the lump in your throat as the emotions of the evening finally caught up with you. Bucky walked back to you and gently wrapped you in his embrace. 

“You’re gonna be okay,” he whispered as you cried. “It’s all gonna be okay.”

You sniffled and nodded your head, embarrassed at your mini meltdown. You pulled back and took a small sip of your water to help you calm down. A few moments later, your breathing slowed, and exhaustion began to take over. Bucky gave your shoulders one last squeeze before disappearing for good.

You let out an enormous yawn as you made your way back to your own room, hoping Peter hadn’t noticed your extended absence. You didn’t need to worry because as soon as you opened the door, you found Peter passed out on his bed. 

Sleep seemed like an awesome idea to you too, so you turned off the TV and the lights before crawling under your own covers. Your eyelids drooped as your slowly sunk into the comfort of your blankets. Tonight had been an amazing experience of highs and lows. You couldn’t wait to go home and tell Nat all about your trip, even if it meant her yelling at you for sneaking out. You smiled softly as the room faded around you.

Home. That sounded really good to you.


End file.
